Monday, December 29, 2014

Meeting Recap (December 13th, 2014)

The Officers would like to wish all of our members a Happy New Year!  Yet before we look towards 2015, let's recap our December meeting.


  • We had another successful annual fundraiser, Rene knows the exact amount; but I believe it was just under $1000.  This will go a long way towards the events and activities we have planned this coming year, so Thank You to everyone who donated and contributed.

  • Our WOW (War on WIP) came to a close with lots of members staying up late to finish those last minute WIP to show them at our meeting.  We are happy to see so many projects being finished this past year.  Krista Robbins was the grand prize winner...and I believe if you follow her on Instagram you saw some of the goodies she purchased with the JanieLou GiftCard.  

  • Are you itching to get your work out there in some shows, or looking for a challenge...then do we have news for you.

  • Don't forget about the Pincushion Swap that the Members Swap/Challenge committee created. Your amazingly modern pincushion is due at the February meeting.

  • Want to know the meeting dates for 2015, be sure to check out the Meeting Info tab at the top of our blog.
Thanks for a great 2014.  
We will see you soon on January 10th.

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Meeting #51 - December 13th, 2014

Hello Modern Quilters,

It is our final meeting of 2014, where we will be celebrating all that we have accomplished and looking forward to what is coming in 2015.  It looks like the weather will cooperate this year, so we hope to see you there.  

Date: December 13th 2014
Time: 10am - 12:30pm 
Location: The Heights

   =================================================================
Agenda:

-Welcome & Guild Business
   :: Membership Information
   :: Financial Information
   :: Special Announcements/Quilting News

-Ticket Fundraiser
-WOW (War on WIP) Finale
-Show & Tell

-Looking towards 2015
-Mix & Mingle



-------------------------- FYI ------------------------------


:: This month is our annual Ticket Fundraiser, and we have a lot of wonderful items for you to consider including fabric bundles, books, scrap bags, notions, etc.  It is always a good time, and the money raised will go a long way in helping to pay for many of the things we have planned for 2015.
***Updated:: To help speed up the fundraiser process, we ask that those buying tickets or those who donated please be sure to bring small stickers with your first and last name on them, or use return address labels, or be prepared to write your first and last name on each ticket.***


:: Our guild WOW (War on WIP) is finally coming to an end, and we've seen a lot of progress being made this year.  All those who have shown your finishes throughout the year, your numbers have been tallied.  Yet, it's not too late to finish that last little bit of quilting, or add that binding before Saturday's meeting to get another finish off of your WOW index card.  Remember, there are several prizes up for grabs; but the largest of which is the $100 GiftCard to Janie Lou; that was graciously donated by one of our members.


 :: Have you paid your 2015 dues yet?  This is your last month to do so, as we need to provide our final numbers to The MQG on January 1st.  Remember it's $40 for the year, and we accept cash or check. If you know for a fact that you will not be attending the meeting; but are looking to renew, please let us know asap so alternate arrangements can be made.  We would hate to remove you from the Roster, only to add you back at a later date.


:: Looking to be more involved?  There is still time to join one of our committees. Our guild would not be the same without all of our amazing volunteers who make up the Member's Swap/Challenge Committee, Charity Committee, and Events Committee.

:: Remember, it is not too late to participate in our Pincushion Swap...no sign-ups needed.  Just bring your awesomely modern pincushion to the February meeting; where we will be voting on our favorites and then swapping them in a Rob Your Neighbor style game.


See You Saturday!!

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Meeting Recap (November 8th, 2014)

Here is a recap of things you might have missed or things that you should know about.



  • The Member's Swap/Challenge Committee announced its final swap at November's meeting.  The details are simple, make a pincushion any size, shape, or color (remember, we are a modern guild) and bring it to the February 2015 meeting.  The members will vote on their favorites, some small prizes announced and the Rob Your Neighbor swap will begin...so be creative and make something that you would be proud to show off and have stolen over and over again :)  When we did a pincushion swap years ago, it was a blast, so we are excited to see what you create.

  • We collected so many fantastic items for our annual fundraiser (to be held at December's meeting), that we know you are going to have a thrilling time deciding what to take your chance on.  It's not too late to donate, so please bring your items to December's meeting.  To find out more, including the types of items we are looking for and how our fundraiser works, check out this link.

  • Congratulations to Andrew Joslyn, who was voted in as the Regional Representative for The MQG Board of Directors, Region 3 (our region). If you haven't yet had an opportunity to check out Andrew Joslyn's introduction, be sure you do so.

We distributed the remainder of the Sew Me St. Louis prizes, and discussed how much fun we all had and what to look forward to next October.  We will be doing a proper event recap in the coming weeks, including thanking those who donated their time, prizes, etc.



Casey talked about her experiences at Quilt Market in Houston, including what the event is like for someone like herself who has written a book and needs to do promotions, networking, etc.

Our 2015 Officers were announced, and we are happy to welcome Monica Smith onto the team as Vice President. The rest of the team remains as such (Kristy Daum - President, Rene Seltzer - Treasurer, and Kelly Smith - Secretary).  We would like to thank Lynne Miller, our current VP, for all of her hard work and dedication these past years.  

We started taking sign-ups for our 3 committees; but it's not too late to join in on the fun and sign-up at December's meeting.  The committees are:
  • Member's Swap/Challenge Committee
  • Charity Committee
  • Events Committee
It's that time of year when we collect membership dues for next year.  We must get our final membership numbers into The MQG by January 1st, so December's meeting will be your last opportunity to renew for next year. If you know that you will not be able to attend December's meeting, please contact us, so arrangements can be made to include your name on our 2015 Roster.  Don't forget, our annual dues are $40 and include the opportunity to participate in Sew-Ins, Challenges, attend workshops, our now annual Sew Me St. Louis event, and much more.  

Have you been participating in our WOW (War On WIP) event throughout the year?  Did you know that December's meeting is your last opportunity to complete and share any of those WIP, to be entered into the gift certificate and prize opportunity?  It's not too late. 

See you on December 13th!

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Meeting #50 - November 8th, 2014

Hello Modern Quilters,

It feels like it has been ages since we all got together, although many of you attended Sew Me St. Louis last month; which was an exciting event. November has a lot to offer, so we hope to see you there.  

Date: November 8th 2014
Time: 10am - 12:30pm 
Location: The Heights

   =================================================================
Agenda:

-Welcome & Guild Business
   :: Membership Information
   :: Financial Information
   :: Special Announcements/Quilting News
-SewMe St. Louis Recap

-Ticket Fundraiser Item Collection
-2015 Officer Election
-Quilt Market Recap
-WOW (War on WIP) Show & Tell 
-Show & Tell
-Mix & Mingle


-------------------------- FYI ------------------------------


:: This month starts our annual Ticket Fundraiser.  Check out this link to learn more about how this event works. We will be collecting items this month, so please be sure to bring them. As always keep in mind that we are a MODERN quilt guild, so please do not bring in items that should otherwise be given to GoodWill, sold at a Garage Sale, or trashed. We want people to be excited by what they see come December.


 :: We will be collecting 2015 dues at the November and December meeting, so please remember to bring $40 cash or check with you, so you don't lose a minute of what our guild has to offer.  We have already started working on next year's calendar and it is shaping up to be another great year.


:: Speaking of 2015, we have a lot of opportunities for you to get more involved in our guild through committees. Our guild would not be the same without these committees (Member's Swap/Challenge, Charity, Education, and Events) and the wonderful members who bring them to life.  You can sign-up starting in November.


:: November 15th is our final Sew-In for 2014, you'll be able to sign up following Saturday's meeting.


See You Saturday!!


Thursday, October 9, 2014

October Meeting & Event

Hello Members & Guests!

Please note that there is no October meeting this year.  As our members will be attending Sew Me St. Louis, our guild's first big Workshop/Lecture retreat the weekend of October 11th & 12th.




Our next meeting will be Saturday, November 8th followed by our December meeting on the 13th.

Thank You, and we hope to see you soon.

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Meeting #49 - September 13th, 2014

Hello Modern Quilters,

It's supposed to be a wonderful weekend weather-wise; we hope to see you at our meeting where we hope you'll be inspired by all of the wonderful things our guild has to offer.  

Date: September 13th 2014
Time: 10am - 12:30pm 
Location: The Heights

   =================================================================
Agenda:

-Welcome & Guild Business
   :: Membership Information
   :: Financial Information
   :: Special Announcements/Quilting News
-Celebration of St. Louis Challenge Reveal
-Orphan Block Swap Final
-SewMe St. Louis Event Details
-WOW (War on WIP) Show & Tell 
-Show & Tell
-Mix & Mingle


 

---------------------- SewMe St. Louis------------------------


SewMe St. Louis
Saturday, October 11th - Sunday, October 12th

Here is your first look at the event logo, created by Juli Ann, who also created our guild logo many years ago.  We'll be talking about this event and giving you all the information you'll need regarding registration, booking your room, weekend activities, etc.  

For member's not in attendance at the meeting, the info will also be sent via email.



See You Saturday!!

Saturday, August 16, 2014

Meeting Recap (August 9th, 2014)

Here's a recap of things you might have missed, or things you should know about.

  • QuiltCon Quilt Show Call for Entries is now open...through November 30th.  Check out all the details (Show Info), (Entry Process), and (Judging Process) for more information.
  • The Member's Swap/Challenge Committee is hosting the Celebrate of St. Louis Challenge; which will be due at September's meeting...only a month away.  
  • Sew-In Saturday is August 23rd from 9am-9pm.  Kelly, our Secretary, has already sent out the invite to all due-paying members, so check your inbox and sign-up.  We would love to see you there.  

The last few items for the Bay Area MQG Orphan Block swap were collected this past week and will be mailed off.  We cannot wait to see what goodies are returned to us (hopefully by September's meeting).

We shared a presentation on Modern Traditionalism to highlight some key elements you can use to make those beloved traditional blocks a little more modern.  Wrapping up, we had a group activity putting pencils to paper and creating some interesting "quilts" of our own...some of which can be seen below.



WOW (War on WIP) is still going strong, and we are happy to see so many people clearing those cobwebs off of their Works in Progress.  

Our regularly scheduled Show & Tell was equally as exciting.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Our October event is a Go!!!  

Chrissy cleverly named it SewMe St. Louis, and Juli Ann is creating a logo; which we hope to put on some swag and use on all further event communication. 

Mark your calendars for Saturday, October 11th and Sunday, October 12th.  We WILL NOT be having our guild meeting that month; but rather using that weekend to sew, learn some things and socialize.  The formal invite is coming soon; but in order to continue we need to get a quick head-count of those looking to attend, so keep an eye on your inbox as all due-paying members will be receiving an email this weekend with more information.


We will see you next month, until then, let's keep the conversation going over on 
Facebook and Instagram.


Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Meeting #48 - August 9th, 2014

Hello Modern Quilters,

Looking for inspiration? Well you've come to the right place.  

Date: August 9th 2014
Time: 10am - 12:30pm 
Location: The Heights

   =================================================================
Agenda:

-Welcome & Guild Business
   :: Membership Information
   :: Financial Information
   :: Special Announcements/Quilting News
-Modern Traditionalism Presentation & Activity
-WOW (War on WIP) Show & Tell 
-Show & Tell
-Mix & Mingle

-------------------------- This Month's Activity ------------------------------


:: Modern Traditionalism Presentation & Activity



---------------------- OnGoing Activities ------------------------

Member's Challenge/Swap Committee Activity - due at September meeting


:: Bay Area MQG "Orphan Block" Swap items to be delivered in September




See You Saturday!!

Friday, July 18, 2014

Meeting Recap (July 12th, 2014)

This month we celebrated many things, the first of which was our guild's Fourth anniversary, the second of which was our members and their accomplishments over the last year.  Our guild is filled with so much talent; but most are very humble so we do not hear of their achievements, and so each anniversary we like to celebrate and recognize our members.

Resounding cheers were heard with each new announcement:

  • Finished a WIP
  • Had a pattern published in a magazine
  • Self-published a pattern
  • Wrote a book
  • Had a quilt juried into a quilt show
  • Won a ribbon/prize at a quilt show
  • Participated in our STLMQG Cares Pillow-Bomb event
  • Finished their 1st quilt this past year
Of course we had some other exciting things to get to as well, so here is a little recap.

  • The Bay Area MQG "Orphan Block" swap items were revealed, all of which will be boxed up and mailed out later this month.  If you participated and did not turn in your item, look for an email in your inbox this weekend.
  • The Michael Miller Fabric Challenge was an enormous hit and our members really brought their A-Game.  Photos of many of the quilts have been posted on our guild's Facebook page.  Don't forget that if you are entering The MQG big challenge, you need to upload your photo to the Finished Michael Miller Fabric Challenge category; which can be found on The MQG Community site. The due date is July 25th.
  • The QuiltCon Quilt Show Call for Entries is open.  Head on over to the QuiltCon site to check out the rules, categories and prizes.  
  • Hawthorne Threads is hosting a WIP-It Wednesday on Instagram.  Every Wednesday, when you see their Instagram post, upload a photo of your WIP and tag it @hawthornethreads and #htWIPit.  Each Monday they will pick their favorite and the winner receives a "substantial mystery prize".
  • Are you participating in the Celebration of St. Louis Challenge that our Member's Swap/Challenge committee announced in June.  Your challenge entry is due at the September meeting so you still have time to hop on board.  Information can be found on the Challenge tab at the top of our blog. 
  • The meeting was capped off with our WOW (War on WIP) Show & Tell and our regular Show & Tell.
Don't forget if you are interested in teaching/lecturing at our October event, you need to fill out the application by July 23rd.  Details and the link were sent to all dues-paying members this past Saturday.


We will see you next month, until then, let's keep the conversation going over on 
Facebook and Instagram.



Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Meeting #47 - July 12th, 2014

Hello Modern Quilters,

Come one, come all...and help us celebrate our guild's 4th Anniversary. If partying isn't your thing, then come for the Show & Tell, and reveals...we have a lot of them this month.  

Date: July 12th 2014
Time: 10am - 12:30pm 
Location: The Heights

   =================================================================
Agenda:

-Welcome & Guild Business
   :: Membership Information
   :: Financial Information
   :: Special Announcements/Quilting News
-4th Anniversary Celebration
-Michael Miller Fabric Challenge reveal
-Bay Area MQG "Orphan Block" Swap reveal
-WOW (War on WIP) Show & Tell 
-Show & Tell
-Mix & Mingle

-------------------------- This Month's Activity ------------------------------

:: Michael Miller Fabric Challenge reveal

:: Bay Area MQG "Orphan Block" Swap reveal


---------------------- OnGoing Activities ------------------------

Member's Challenge/Swap Committee Activity - due at September meeting



See You Saturday!!

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Meeting Recap (June 14th, 2014)

Thank you for another fun-filled Saturday. Here is a recap in case you missed any of what happened. 

  • Our Member's Swap/Challenge Committee announced their Challenge for this year; which is a "Celebration of St. Louis".  Need some inspiration, consider visiting the MO History Museum as they are hosting lots of great events centered around the St. Louis celebration.  Your challenge quilt/item is due at the September meeting, so you'll have lots of time to be inspired.

  • Thank you to everyone who participated in the Quilting Book activity, it was lovely to see such a wide range of books featured, and we hope that it inspired you to check your local library or even purchase one or two of them.

  • We collected lots of valuable data on the topics you would want to learn about at our October Workshop/Lecture/Sew-In event.  More information will be made available soon.

  • Your Michael Miller Challenge is due at the July meeting.  We cannot wait to see what you have been creating.

  • For those who signed up in May to participate in the Bay Area MQG "Orphan Block" Swap, your item is due at the July meeting.   

  • Finally, July is our guild's 4th anniversary...YAY!!!  We would like to continue the tradition of recognizing our member's achievements over the past year. We know that we have lots of amazing talent in the guild, some have won awards, some have finished their first quilt, some have had their work shown at Quilt Market, some are writing books or had their work published.  With a guild of 90 members, it is hard to keep track of all of your achievements, so drop us an email, or send us a Facebook message and let us know what you have been up to. 

A continued thank you to everyone who is playing along with our WOW (War on WIP), it has been interesting to see all of your older WIP, and with each finish it brings you closer to a clean slate.

We will see you next month, July 12th.  Until then, let's keep the 
conversation going over on Facebook and Instagram.

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Meeting #46 - June 14th, 2014

Hello Modern Quilters,

It feels like it has been ages since we last met.  So, pull up a chair and let's have some fun, shall we. 

Date: June 14th 2014
Time: 10am - 12:30pm 
Location: The Heights

   =================================================================
Agenda:

-Welcome & Guild Business
   :: Membership Information
   :: Financial Information
   :: Special Announcements/Quilting News
-Charity Committee Update
-Membership Challenge/Swap Committee Activity (Challenge Announcement)
-Quilting Books : Discussion, Inspiration, Etc.
-WOW (War on WIP) Show & Tell 
-Show & Tell
-Mix & Mingle

-------------------------- This Month's Activity ------------------------------

We will be discussing Quilting Books, and answering questions like... 

  • What do you look for when buying them? 
  • Do you actually make the projects inside, or are they just inspiration? 
  • What are your prized books?  
  • Etc.

As we want to hear from our members, please bring a quilting book from your personal collection that has inspired you, is a constant resource for technique, has excellent photography, etc.  While there is bound to be some duplication, we likely have different reasons for buying a particular book.  Additionally, we will have a collection of several books at our meeting that you can peruse, because we all know that a picture is worth a thousand words.


---------------------- OnGoing Activities ------------------------

:: Michael Miller Fabric Challenge - Due at July meeting

:: Bay Area MQG "Orphan Block" Swap - Due at July meeting



See You Saturday!!

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Meeting Recap (May 10th, 2014)

Thank you for spending your Saturday with us; we hope that you left inspired by what you saw during Show & Tell, and excited by the announcements we made. Here is a recap in case you missed any of it. 

  • Do you have a quilt that you are extremely proud of that captures the modern aesthetic...then please consider entering it into The MQG Showcase at International Quilt Festival in Houston, TX.  The entry opens on May 30th and closes on June 27th.  Here is some background information.  Please note that this is for for exhibit only, you are not entered to win any prizes.

  • The Michael Miller Challenge due date has been extended with entries now due in July. We love seeing the sneak-peeks and stacks of additional fabric that everyone has been posting on social media, on their blogs, etc. 

  • Thank you to Mary Claire and Juli Ann for the recap of SewDown: Nashville.  We wish we could have been there.

  • Thank you to those members who recapped their trip to Paducah, it was interesting to hear everyone's experiences.

  • Everyone sure looks like they had fun choosing fabric based off of their secret swap partner's inspiration photo.  Thanks to the Member's Swap/Challenge committee for pulling off another great activity.  If you have fabric for your partner; but were not at the meeting, and did not advise one of the Officers, please do so immediately, as we want to ensure that everyone who signed up to participate will get their fabric.

  • Interested in attending QuiltCon next February in Austin, TX?  The schedule and class descriptions are to be released to due-paying members on June 1st.  Registration opens to all MQG members on June 24th 10am EST.  Don't know what QuiltCon is?  Head on over to their site right away and see what all the buzz is about.  

  • We made 2 big announcements this month, both of which were recapped in an email sent out to due-paying members on Saturday evening.  If you are a due-paying member and did not receive an email, please let us know.  

Announcement #1
  • STLMQG RoadTrip to Sarah's Fabric in Lawrence, KS  (June 21st-22nd) -- If you are a due-paying member of the STLMQG and would like to join us, please let us know asap.  We need a headcount so we can coordinate lodging, drivers and passengers.  This is not a guild-funded trip, we are only coordinating the opportunity, members will be responsible for all costs.
Announcement #2
  • STLMQG Speaker/Workshop Event (October TBD) -- We are looking at offering 3-6 workshops and or lectures taught by members, an all night Sew-In, a social event and lots more.  Interested in teaching?  There will be an application sent out late May/early June.  Have an idea for a class, for a venue, want to volunteer?  Please let us know.  We want to make this a weekend to remember.

Finally, we just wanted to thank everyone who is playing along with our WOW (War on WIP), it has been a lot of fun seeing what everyone has been hiding in their closets, and we are just as excited as you that the item is now done.  I mean, who doesn't love making room for more.


We will see you next month, June 14th.  Until then, let's keep the 
conversation going over on Facebook and Instagram.